ESPN analyst Jay Bilas held a teleconference to give his thoughts on the NCAA Tournament, which of course includes UK and Ohio State. He thinks Ohio State is the favorite not only in this game, but to win the title as well. Here are some of his thoughts:
“Ohio State is the better of the two teams, because they’re a lot older. And they’re really balanced. Having that kind of experience and the talent they have is a terrific combination. Kentucky has talent, but it’s inexperienced talent.”
Bilas talked about the matchup problems freshman center Jared Sullinger creates for defense:
“If he gets a foot in the lane, he’ll score or get fouled or both. I think you only go on Sullinger once he puts it on the deck. But once he does, he’s usually in a move pretty quick. You have to push him out a little bit, catch it off the block.”
On the potential strategy of doubling down on Sullinger:
“If you’re going to double on Sullinger, you will give up open shots.”
On who UK could possibly leave to help on Sullinger:
“Certain shooters you have to stay with. Diebler is a no-leave guy. You have to find him and not leave him. Cannot (take a player) off of him. Lots of teams have doubled off (Aaron) Craft. But you have to mix it up.”
Speaking of Craft, the freshman point guard:
“Aaron Craft is beyond his years. I haven’t seen a guard put better pressure on the ball than he does and be a better defender.”
On Ohio State’s short but talented rotation:
“They’re not deep, but they can go deep with (Dallas) Lauderdale, or they can go small and bring Deshaun Thomas off the bench. He’s had 22 in a big game. Really good 7-man roster.”
On Josh Harrellson:
“Underrated. Had a really good year. Had a really good job on the glass. Been really impressed by second and third effort on the glass. Finishes plays and takes advantage of plays.”
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OBVIOUSLY this dude is a OHIO STATE FAN but KENTUCKY will WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
u do realize that ohio state is by FAR better than kentucky, in fact its not even close
if ur soooooooo ignorant that u think kentucky is the most amazing team ever, heres some info for ya
kentucky plays in the SEC, not as strong as the BIG 10
Ohio State is way more experienced and has a player of the year candidate in sully
we have the best 3-point shooter in the country in jon diebler and in ohio state school history
we are the top team in the country at defense without fouling
we have the best defensive player in the country in david lighty, who by the way is the winningest player in college basketball also
we also have a highly recruited deshaun thomas
a 7 foot dallas lauderdale
and a freshman in aaron craft who is a terrific defender, gets tons of steals, and dished out 15 assists vs. gmu
in the last 5 games, we havnt just beaten teams, we have destroyed them, winning by an average of 17 ppg and that includes the big 10 tourney
william buford will also be in the nba, can nail a 3 and mid range shot, is long, and can drive like no other
not that kentuckys BAD, they are just not as good as us
and if you guys can somehow manage to match up with that and beat us or even play it as close as 5 points, i would be truly impressed
but nonetheless, i excpect nothing less from osu than domination, and excpect at least an 8 point victory, as usual, because well for us, thats just buisness…
wish the best of luck, yuoll need it
:p
This is the NCAA final 16 teams. It doesn’t matter what Ohio State has done or what conference they are in.. Its about who plays the best defense and Kentucky plays some of the best defense in the nation. The team who plays the best defense and hits free throws will win. I pick Kentucky in an upset!
Jared Sullinger isn’t as big as everyone say he is just look at what doron lamb did to him last year when they played each other in high school doron lamb held him to 3 points the whole game and doron lamb at 6’4 and jared sullinger at 6’9 and i think liggins can shut down a diebler so it really can go any way it all depends on who ever comes out fighting im leaning towards kentucky just cause they match up really good in there favor aginest ohio state,
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/basketball/2010-01-16-hoophall-classic_N.htm
The sad part is theses teams are very very much equals and this will be hands down the best game in the NCAA tourney regardless of the winner. Statistically speaking its a dead heat with an ever so slight edge to OSU saying they are far superior is completely ridiculous. Kentucky has a stronger schedule than Ohio State this season (SOS Rank: UK#13 vs OSU#30). In both teams best performances against the 3 teams played in common Florida, South Carolina, and Indiana Kentucky’s points margin of victory was 66 OSU’s was 31. UK plays a northwestern style offense with very few turnovers which presents major problems for the buckeyes. Terrence Jones is ranked 34th nationally in rebounds and ranked 46th nationally in blocks. OSU does not rebound the ball very well one of their weaknesses To say the SEC is not as strong at the BIG 10 is completely ridiculous Fla. and UK are both in the Sweet 16 poised to make final four appearances which is a direct result of more talent and better coaching. The SEC has had 14 more NBA Draft picks than the Big Ten over the past 10 years. The SEC has had 2 more NCAA Tournament Championships than the Big Ten over the past 5 years. Last year the top ranking player between the two conferences for points, rebounds, field goals made, free throws made, steals, and blocks was all in the SEC. Now that you stand corrected please enjoy the game Saturday as it will be exciting. UK 71—–OSU 66
fuck u
cocky ass bitch
all i can say is watch for darius miller !!!!!!!!!
hey andrew, excuse me? r u fucking kidding? i said n 8 point game, is that ever a blow out, especially not cuz i excpect back n forth game with osu pulling away in the last 5, 10 minutes
shithead
ok, i do agree with you on 2 things
1 it will be a thriller, one that shows up like the point difference was not as close as the game was (say 10 points when it was a 4 point game but another team nails free throws)
2 it will be the best game in the tourney
however i gotta say that well, comparing win totals vs. different teams r ALWAYS misleading stats
since their not EXACTLY the same their uncompareable
also draft picks r really irrelevant cuz we r not talking bout the past, but NOW
u got me on SOS, but u say SEC is better cuz florida and UK r still alive? well let me argue that both Ohio state and wisconsin r still alive
i must be mistaken, but did u say osu is not strong in rebounding? sully averages almost 11 a game and that is a misleading stat because, although osu ranks 165th nationally, they only average 3 less rebounds a game, meaning many teams average just about the same ammount within that range
now that YOU stand corrected, i wish u luck
cant wait for friday
oh n also andrew, u make a great arguement…
as the rest of ur fans on this page show class and only answer my comment with statistics of their own make it obvious…
u r a BASTARD
i excpect nothing less than for fans to pick their team, and i respect loyalty, and this may be a little off topic but its the last 32 teams, last 16 games
Really? You think there are 32 teams in the Sweet 16?!
The Buckeyes stay in their conference , much like their football team. I knew right away that Ohio St. Had not been up against a S.E.C. type of defense. Ky matched up just fine. I kept wondering why the analyst did not recall Harrelson practicing against Cousins, Orton, And Enes the last two years. Ky. and Florida in the final. Go S.E.C. underrated and self defeating, but in the end, I think we’ll take it.
Big Ten rides their soft schedule every year just to lose to a S.E.C. team when it’s on the line. The Big Ten really needs to step out of conference. It took one quick look at Ohio St schedule and it was obvious they rode a soft schedule. How bout the East. 11 teams in while Alabama goes to the N.I.T. NCAA selection is a joke. Based on hype and not on substance. Jay Bilas is a joke, he has Done the Obama thing and picked the #1 teams, what a moron. ESPN needs to get some real knowledge on air. I kinda wish they would have two different tournaments and let the winner of each play for the title. Maybe East vs. West game like the NBA. Simple solution and gives more teams a chance to be cinderellas. Best two out of three for the Championship.